Henderson, Franklin, Starnes & Holt, P.A.

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Lee County has taken several steps over the last few weeks to streamline the development permitting process and improve the regulatory “climate” for new businesses and development.

Land Development Code Amendments

 On February 12, the Lee County Commission approved a series of amendments to the Land Development Code (LDC) that were recommended by the…

On Tuesday, February 12, 2013, the Lee County Commission unanimously voted to delay consideration of a proposed 2-year suspension of impact fees so that additional information could be provided regarding the effect of such a suspension on the County’s infrastructure budgeting.

Also of concern was the impact on the various municipalities within Lee County and…

In the past few months, several clients have contacted me with questions regarding property that had been obtained through tax deeds. For example, one client contacted me to discuss property that had been purchased from an individual who obtained the property through a tax deed sale two years earlier. At the recent purchase, the client had obtained an owner’s title policy; however, there was an exception to this policy for anyone claiming by, through or under the prior owner whose title to the property had been disgorged by the tax deed sale. My client intended to develop the property into a multi-unit residential complex and wanted to be certain that they could provide clear title to the eventual third-party purchasers.

Background

Prior to a property being sold at auction via a tax sale, several things must have occurred or, in some cases, not occurred. By way of example, let’s say that “Adam” is an individual who owns a 10 acre tract of vacant land in Lee County, Florida. After the 2008 real estate crash, Adam fell on hard times and failed to pay the 2008 ad valorem taxes due and payable on March 1, 2009. On April 1, 2009, the taxes for Adam’s property were deemed delinquent and the tax collector, as required by law, advertised Adam’s property (along with other delinquent properties) once a week for three consecutive weeks for the sale of a tax certificate on the delinquent 2008 taxes. Once the delinquent properties had been properly advertised, the tax collector established an on-line auction for a tax certificate for the delinquent 2008 taxes.Continue Reading Tips for Understanding Tax Deeds and Tax Certificates

The News-Press recently reported that the City of Cape Coral and Lee County are proposing changes to their land use and development regulations in order to be more flexible in how property is developed and redeveloped.

In the City of Cape Coral, new land use and development regulations concerning South Cape Coral were unanimously passed…

By now most everyone knows that a short sale occurs where the proceeds from the sale of a property are less than the debt owed on the property. Short sales have seen rapid growth recently as both investors and lenders turn to them as a way to maximize returns over foreclosure sales. As short sales have increased, so have short sale scams. Therefore, prudent homeowners, prospective buyers and real estate agents should be vigilant to avoid short sale scams.

Some examples of short sale fraud schemes include:

  • Flopping. When a property is flipped illegally, it is sold for an inflated value in order to obtain a mortgage in excess of the property’s real value. When the seller, who is often in on the scheme, is paid at closing, the difference between the actual selling price and the loan amount is split between the fraudsters. When a property is flopped, it is usually owned by an underwater borrower who has asked the lender to approve a short-sale at a price less than what is owed. In this scenario, the fraudster, which may be the owner, real estate agent, or both, supply one or more opinions of valuation that show the property to be worth significantly less than its actual fair market valuation. When the lender agrees to take the lower price, the fraudster purchases the property in his name or that of a straw buyer, thereafter flips the property to an arm-length purchaser at a higher price than the one negotiated with the lender, and pockets the difference. Like flipping, flopping is the intentional misrepresentation of a property’s true market value. However, whereas flipping usually takes place when housing prices are rising, flopping occurs when values are depressed.

Continue Reading Flip, Flop – Beware Short Sale Scams